1. Field of the Invention
In well drilling, with a rotary drilling rig, the drill bit and drilling pipe receive rotary motion from power equipment located on the surface. Below the drilling floor, at the ground surface, an assembly known as a rotating head allows the circulation of various fluids used in the drilling. The present invention relates to an adapter assembly. The adapter assembly increases the size of the exterior of the outer barrel for attachment of the outer barrel to a housing such as a bowl.
Drilling heads typically include a stationary body, often referred to as a bowl. The stationary body houses a rotatable spindle, commonly referred to as a bearing assembly. The outer barrel attaches to the bowl. Bowls are available in different sizes depending upon the size of the hole needed for the drilling. Because of the different sized bowls, different sized outer barrels are needed for providing a secure attachment to the bowl. The adapter assembly reduces the required costs of drilling by eliminating the need for different sized outer barrels. To increase the size of the outer barrel, a user attaches an adapter assembly to the exterior of the outer barrel. The increased size of the adapter assembly attached to the outer barrel enables attachment of the outer barrel to the housing, the bowl. The adapter assembly reduces the number of different sized outer barrels required. The adapter assembly configures an outer barrel such that the outer barrel may be used for multiple sized bowls thus decreasing the equipment needed for drilling.
2. Description of the Known Art
Patents and patent applications disclosing information relevant to rotating heads are disclosed below. These patents and patent applications are hereby expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,798,210 (“the '210 patent) issued to Pruitt et al. on Sep. 21, 2010.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,870,896 issued to Pruitt et al. on Jan. 18, 2011.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,511,193 (the '193 patent) issued to Geczy on Apr. 16, 1985 teaches a combined radial and thrust bearing assembly for a down-hole drilling assembly to journal a shaft, mounting the drill bit, in a housing. The bearing assembly taught by the '193 patent is used between a down-hole fluid powered motor and a drill bit for drilling oil wells, for example. The bearing assembly taught by the '193 patent includes cooperative pairs of upper and lower inner races located on the shaft for mutual rotation. Each of the inner races taught by the '193 patent includes a pair of interchangeable toroidal tracks. Cooperative pairs of upper and lower outer races taught by the '193 patent are fixed against rotation in the housing. Each outer race taught by the '193 patent has a pair of interchangeable toroidal tracks to selectively cooperate with the tracks of the inner races to define a toroidal channel to receive a number of bearing balls. Spring means taught by the '193 patent are disposed between the upper and lower pairs of outer races and the housing and between the upper and lower pairs of outer races to provide a compliant coupling for the even distribution of radial and upwardly and downwardly directed thrust loads between the races and balls and eventual transfer to the housing. Drilling fluid taught by the '193 patent is circulated through the bearing assembly for cooling and lubrication.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,158 (“the '158 patent”) issued to Bailey, et al. on May 25, 1993 teaches a drilling head with dual rotating stripper rubbers designed for high pressure drilling operations ensuring sealing under the extreme conditions of high flow or high pressure wells such as horizontal drilling. The dual stripper rubbers taught by the '158 patent seal on the same diameter yet are manufactured of different materials for different sealing functions. The lower stripper rubber taught by the '158 patent is manufactured from a more rigid, abrasive resistant material to divert the flow from the well. The upper stripper rubber taught by the '158 patent is manufactured of a softer sealing material that will closely conform to the outer diameter of the drill string thereby preventing the flow of fluids through the drilling head.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,444 issued to Williams on Jul. 15, 1997 discloses a rotating blowout preventor having at least two rotating stripper rubber seals which provide a continuous seal about a drilling string having drilling string components of varying diameter. A stationary bowl taught by the '444 patent is designed to support a blowout preventor bearing assembly and receives a swivel ball that cooperates with the bowl to self-align the blowout preventor bearing assembly and the swivel ball with respect to the fixed bowl. Chilled water taught by the '444 patent is circulated through the seal boxes of the blowout preventor bearing assembly and liquid such as water is pumped into the bearing assembly annulus between the stripper rubbers to offset well pressure on the stripper rubbers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,181 issued to Williams et al. on Sep. 2, 1997 (“the '181 patent”) teaches a rotating blowout preventor having at least two rotating stripper rubber seals which provide a continuous seal about a kelly or drilling string having drilling string components of varying diameter. A stationary housing of the '181 patent is designed to support a bearing assembly and a clamp cooperates with the housing to secure the bearing assembly in the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,198,098 issued to Williams on Apr. 3, 2007 (“the '098 patent”) teaches a connector system for connecting parts of an apparatus. The '098 patent teaches a first part having one or more bayonet connectors and one or more retention pin receptacles cooperatively mates to a second part having one or more mating bayonet connectors. The second part taught by the '098 patent further provides one or more retention pin bores. The first and second parts taught by the '098 patent assemble to form a bayonet connection such that at least one pin retention bore aligns with at least one retention pin receptacle. The '098 patent teaches that at least one retention pin assembly disposed through the at least one pin retention bore selectively engages the retention pin receptacle to secure the connection of the first part to the second part of the apparatus.
U.S. Publication No. 20090057024 to Williams on Mar. 5, 2009 (“the '024 publication”) teaches an upper stripper rubber canister system that comprises a canister body and a canister body lid. The canister body taught by the '024 publication includes an upper end portion, a lower end portion and a central passage extending therebetween. The central passage taught by the '024 publication is configured for having a stripper rubber assembly disposed therein. The '024 publication teaches an upper end portion of the body that includes a plurality of bayonet connector structures. The canister body lid taught by the '024 publication includes an exterior surface, an upper end portion, a lower end portion and a central passage extending between the end portions thereof. The exterior surface taught by the '024 publication is configured for fitting within the central passage of the canister body. The canister body lid includes a plurality of bayonet connector structures integral with its exterior surface. Each canister body lid bayonet connector structure taught by the '024 publication is configured for being engaged with one of the canister body bayonet connector structures for interlocking the canister body lid with the canister body.